Upholstery unit and method of making same



UPI-IOLSTERY UNIT AND METHOD Oi MAKING SAME Filed April 5, 1939 4| 42INVENTORS v JACK C.GORDON BY EDWARD R.DETRI K WW, W q 6 ATTORNEYSPatented Dec. 23, 1941 UPHOLSTERY UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Jack 0.Gordon and Edward R. Detrick, Detroit, Mich assignors to NationalAutomotive Fibres, Inc., Detroit, Miclu, a. corporation of Delaware andAllen Industries, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of DelawareApplication April 5, 1939, Serial No. 266,216

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an upholstery unit and moreparticularly to a unitary padded construction. adapted to be positionedintermediate a spring unit and an upholstery fabric.

The upholstery unit-which forms the subjectmatter of the presentinvention is capable of many diverse applications, but is particularlyuseful in automotive upholstery, and we have therefore chosen toillustrate the present invention as applied to automotive upholstery. Itis to be understood this disclosure is intended to be illustrative onlyand in no sense limiting.

At the present time seats in automotive vehicles comprise a spring unitordinarily out of the coil spring type over which it is necessary toposition a pad, preferably of highly resilient unwoven fibrous material,such for example as cotton. The trim material is positioned over thispad and may be in the form of a stuffed pleated unit, or the trim fabricmay be applied directly over the pad. In order to prevent the pad, asformerly provided, from working downwardly into the spring unit, it wascommon practice to provide a so-called insulator intermediate the springunit and the pad. This insulator took many forms, one of which wassimply a piece of burlap stiffened by short lengths of wire.

Heretofore loose or untreated cotton batting has been employed incushions of this type; consequently it was difiicult to prevent suchloose cotton from rolling or moving out of place or forming bumpy topsiu'faces for the moh'air or other fabric trim material when the latterwas applied to the cushions. Moreover, due to handling in the trim shopsand natural structural disintegration, a considerable quantity of suchloose or untreated cotton was lost. It was also customary to fold aportion of the padding downwardly over the upper border wire of thesupporting spring structure, and this not only con-. sumed much time andlabor but oftentimes resulted in cotton being lost.

With the foregoing in mind, it will be apparent that the final assemblyof a vehicle seat was relatively slow and required considerable skill onthe part of the upholsterer. Such procedure made it possible toupholster the spring structures on a commercial basis, but it was foundin practice that the results were not uniform. The pad was subject torupture'ifp placed under any strain, and further, since it was notdefinitely positioned relative to the spring unit, it was apt to slipthereon, with the result that portions of the underlying structure werenot sufficiently padded.

Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide anupholstery unit which overcomes the major disadvantages inherent in thepresent construction.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an upholsteryunit which is adapted to withstand comparatively severe handling withoutdamage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an upholsteryunit which is constructed and arranged to obviate the necessity of aseparate spring insulator.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an upholsteryunit constructed and arranged to be structurally interlocked with acooperating spring unit.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an upholsteryunit over which the trim fabric or cushion may be applied withouttthepossibility of damage to the upholstery uni I It is a further object ofthe present invention to provide a composite upholstery unit comprisingan upper pad and a lower base having a recess adapted to receive theupper portion of the springunit.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compositeupholstery unit comprising an intermediate delicate fiber pad interposedbetween reinforcing and protective elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide in anupholstery unit, a base having depending marginal flanges formingcorners adapted to position the unit definitely relative to a springunit in which the corners are strongl reinforced.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the descriptionproceeds, and when taken in conjunction with'the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

Figure 1 is an inverted perspective of an upholstery unit according tothe present invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an inverted perspective of a slightly different embodimentof our invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the composite precut pad and base used toform the unit shown in Figure 3 prior to formation;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5, Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detailed perspective partly in section, illustrating thecomer construction vem-- ployed in the present invention; and s Figure 7is a vertical section through a complete seat construction illustratingthe manner of using an upholstery unit made according to the presentinvention.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, we illustrate in inverted positionan upholstery unit it which is provided with a recess l2 defined bynormally dzpending marginal flanges indicated generally a i As best seenin Figure 2, the unit It is made up of an intermediate tapered pad Itformed of an unwoven loosely integrated fibrous material, such forexample as cotton. The pad I8 is preferably tapered from front to rear,the thickest portion thereof, indicated at it, being at the front of theunit. Associated with the pad I. is a base member 20 which is ofrelatively strong material and is substantially form-retaining. Thematerial of the base 20 may be selected from a wide variety ofmaterials. Excellent results are obtained when the base 20 is formed ofa coarse fiber, such for example as sisal, Jute, hemp, or the like. Thismaterial is preferably employed in the form of a blanket, needled,felted or otherwise treated.

If preferred, the base 2| may be formed of a boardllke material, suchfor example as a deformable fiberboard, or the like. It may, on theother hand, be formed of a strong paper, a stiff cloth, or the like. Insome instances, the base 2| may be formed of molded rubber, or similarmaterial. The selection of material will be governed by practicalconsiderations, the chief requirement being that it shall reinforce thepad, and, as assembled, be substantially form-retaining.

The base 20 is provided with depending marginal flanges 22 and the padII has its marginal portionsformed over the flanges 22 to form thecomposite flanges ll, previously referred to. The flanges mayconveniently be provided by bending the edges of the base 2|.

In order to provide a strongly reinforced element which may be handledwithout injury to the product, we prefer to provide a fabric coverindicated at 24 which overlies the pad ll and which has its marginaledges 28 secured to the base 20. Preferably, edges 28 are folded intothe interior of the recess 12 and. secured therein, as by adhesion tothe inner surfaces of the flanges 22 of the base iii. If desired,'thefabric 24 may have its marginal edges adhesively secured to the uppersurface of the base 20. The chief consideration is that the delicatefiber pad I! shall be enclosed by fabric 24 and shall be attachedthereby to the base 2|. The fabric It may be a very cheap material sinceit is not sub- Jected to substantial strains, either in handling orsubsequent use. We have found that tobacco cloth is entirelysatisfactory for this purpose, although, if preferred, other material,such for example as muslin, netting, or the like, may be substitutedtherefor.

Where the base 20 is formed of a coarse fibrous material, we prefer totreat the base with an adhesive stiffening binder. This binder may beapplied to the base 20 in a variety of manners. For example, the base 20may be completely impregnated with the material. In this case, there isadditional adhesion between the base 20 and the pad ll. Preferably,however, this adhesive binder is applied to the base 2| as a spraycoating applied to the upper surface of the base, as seen in Figures 1and 3. This spray coating penetrates somewhat into the uptant functions.After treatment with the adhesive binder, the upper surface of the base20. is preferably subjected to compressive force which mats togetherloose fibers on the surface thereof, and which forms a substantiallysealed surface. This surface, in use, rests directly on top of thespring unit and takes the place of the spring insulator, previouslyreferred to. The surface prevents downward sifting of the fibers of thebase 20 and, as will be evident, further protects the delicate structureof the pad it.

The adhesive binder serves the additional function of substantiallystiffening the base 20. As previously stated, it is desired that thebase 20 shall be form-retaining, or in other words, that during handlingit shall strongly retain the formation shown in the drawing. Theadhesive binder serves the purpose of substantially stiffening the base,with the result that the flanges 22 and It will be reinforced.

The third function of the adhesive binder referred to is to serve as theadhesive agent for securing the marginal edges 26 of the cover fabric 24to the flanges 22 of the base 20. If desired, additional adhesive may beapplied either to the flange 22 or the marginal edge portions 2 of thefabric, or in some instances other securing means, such for example asstaples, sewing, or the like, may be employed. 7

As illustrated in Figure 1, the flanges It are preferably continuousacross the front of the pad andalong both ends thereof. The flange atthe rear of the pad, which in Figure 1 we have indicated at a, may beseparate from the end flanges, and in this figure we have illustrated at2' a cut-out portion. It will be appreciated that in order to positionthe unit it over a spring per surface of the base and serves threeimpor-- I unit, it is necessary only totprovide two definitely locatedcorners, such for example as the corners Ill-indicated in Figure l. v v

A slightly difierent embodiment is illustrated in Figure 3, whichdiffers from the embodiment shown in Figure 1 only in that the flange bis continuous completely around the periphery of the pad lllb. The frontcorners 30a and the rear corners tlb of this flange are formed in thesame manner as the corners 30 of Figure 1.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, we show in these figures a compositestructure comprising the base material 20 and the pad material it precutto a shape which permits formation of the material to the formillustrated in Figure 3. In these figures we have indicated at 32 and 33notches cut adjacent the corners of the composite pad, which permitbending of the edges to form the flanges it previously referred to.

In Figure 4 we have illustrated a pair of notches 32 adjacent one cornerand a single notch 33 at another corner. It will be evident that eitherconstruction may be employed, the essential factor being that sufficientmaterial is removed in the notches to bring the adjacent edge portionsinto abutment when the flanges are formed at substantially right'anglesto the plane of the composite structure. Where a pair of notches 32 areemployed, as will be evident from Figure 4, an intermediate cornerportion 34 is provided.

As will be evident, when the edges of this composite pad are folded toform thefianges the adjacent edge portions formed by the notches 32 arebrought into abutting relation. The adhesive binder with which the basematerial 20 has been treated serves to adhesively unite these edges andto retain the flanges in bent position.

- ing the edge portions of the composite structure composed of the padl6 and the base 20 at substantially right angles to the plane of thecomposite structure. This results in the cut edges of the unit, andparticularly of the base 20, being brought into abutting relation wherethey are adhered together by the adhesive binder previously referred to.The cover fabric or sheeting 24 which overlies the unit I!) has itsmarginal portions 26 bent inwardly and adhered to the inner surface ofthe flanges 22 formed on the base 20.

As will be evident, adjacent the corners 30 there is a surplus of thisfabric which is gathered into folded and overlapped relation and isadhered in this position, as indicated at 36. This formation serves thefunction'of strongly reinforcing the corners 30.

It has been found that the reinforcing effect of gathering together andadhesively uniting overlapping folds 36 of the fabric 24 provides anadequate reinforcement for the corners 30 of the depending flanges.However, in some in- I stances, it may be desirable to provide anadditional reinforcement, and this may take the form of a separate stripof material 60 adhesively secured around a corner formed by adjacentflange sections. This material 60 may be a Suitable fabric and may ifdesired be positioned on the outside of the corners or itrmay be foldedover so as to be adhesively secured to both the inside and the outsideof the flanges aroundthe corners thereof.

Themethod of making the upholstery unit which has been previouslydescribed lends itself admirably to large scale production. The detailsteps of the method of manufacture are reviewed here."

The fabrics 24 are precut in any desired manner and are preferablysupplied in piles. The cotton l6 and the base 20 are cut to the desiredshape with a suitable adhesive binder. This may be done afterpreliminary assembly with the cover fabric, or, if preferred, it may beaccomplished previously. It has been found that this treatment of thebase may be accomplished by spraying the exposed surface of the basemember 20 with a suitable adhesive, such for example as latex. Ifdesired, a coating of the adhesive may also be applied to the exposededge 25 of the sheeting 24.

At this time the edges of the base member 26 I are formed upwardly withthe result that the including the formation of the notches adjacent thecorners. If desired, the cotton pad [6 and the base 20 may be separatelycut'arid later assembled, or, if preferred, they may be cut together asa unit."

If the pad l6 and the base material 20 are separately cut to the desiredshape they are next assembled and are brought into the relationshipillustrated in Figures 4 and 5. At this time, preferably the edges ofthe cotton pad iii are feathered by the removal of some of the paddingmaterial adjacent the edges. This feathering step provides tapered edgesat all sides of the pad, such as illustrated in Figure 2. This resultsin a smoother completed product for the reason that bulky edges ofpadding material are not edges formed by the notches 32 and 33 arebrought into abutment. The adhesive applied will be sufficient to causeadherence between the edges, with the result that a marginal flange willbe formed around the periphery of the unit. This flange may becontinuous, as shown in Figure 3, or may be interrupted, as indicated inFigure 1. The next step in the manufacture of the unit is to fold theextending edges 26 of the sheeting 24 upwardly around the flanges 22formed in the base material. As will be evident, this operation alsoresults in forming the feathered edges of the cotton pad l6 around thecorners formed by the flanges 22, and the parts will take therelationship illustrated in Figure 2. The extending edges 25 of thesheeting 24 arethen formed into the interior of the recess l2, and areadhesively secured to the inside surface of the flanges 22. Thisoperation may be performed manually, and it is found that rapidproduction may be obtained.

As will be evident, the fabric or sheeting 24, when folded into theinterior of the recess l2, provides a certain amount of fullnessadjacent the corners 30 formed by the flanges 22. The operator gathersthis fullness together to form crumpled folds, which are -adhesivelyunited to the innersurface of the flanges. This results'in a stronglyreinforced corner which will serve definitely to position the unitrelative to the associated spring unit in the completed assembly.

In order to understand the advantages afforded by the presentconstruction, we have illustrated in Figure 7 a complete springconstruction embodying the present invention. In this figure a springunit 40 comprises a lower base 4|, coil springs 42, and an upper borderwire 43 which is resiliently sprung from the base 4| by' the coilsprings. The upholstery unit ill which forms the subject-matter of thepresent invention is placed-over the spring 40 so that the flanges l4surround the upper border wire 43. In other words, the upper portion ofthe spring unit 40 is received within the recess l2 provided at theunderside of the unit Ill. The trim material indicated generally at ispositioned over the upholstery unit 10 and is secured as indicated at 5!and 52 adjacent the lower portion of the spring unit 40. In this figurewe have illustrated the trim material as in the form termediate pad 53of padding material, such for 2 example as loosely integrated cotton, abacking 54 of sheeting and the usual covering of trim fabric 55, whichmay be mohair, broadcloth, leather, artificial leather, or the like.Pads of this type are normally provided with seams extending from frontto back of the cushion. If preferred, the trim fabric 55 may be applieddirectly over the upholstery unit Ill.

Having now described the structural features characterizing ourinvention, we shall now describe the manner in which the same isassembled in the vehicle, pointing out the numerous advantages whichfollow. the improved construction. As previously stated, .prior practicehas been to place a delicate pad of fibrous material. such as cotton,over the spring unit, preferably interposing an insulator between thespring unit and the pad. This pad of loosely integrated fibrous materialwas not positioned by coasting .structural elements on the spring unitand,

therefore, tended to slip thereon during the subsequent assemblyoperations and in use. Furthermore, when the trim material was placedover the pad there was a tendency for the pad to break or tear whenstrains were imposed thereon. In order to avoid faulty construction, itwas necessary for the upholsterer to exercise considerable care andskill in, placing the upholstery fabric over the pad. In the firstplace, it was necessary to draw the edges of the pad downwardly over theborder wire 48 in order to insure proper padding of this member. In massproduction irregularities unavoidably appeared and considerable time wasnecessary to obtain acceptable results. According to the presentinvention the upholstery unit It is strongly reinforced and need not behandled with care. The delicate fibrous material in the pad I! isstrongly protected between the intermediate reinforcing base 2| and thesheeting 24. The unit II is provided with depending flanges i4 andcorners II which coact with the upper portion of the spring unit II inorder to position the unit definitely thereon. As previously stated, itis unnecessary that the flanges i4 extend completely around theperiphcry. of the pad, since the front corners ll formed by the flangesl4, shown in Figure I, serve to position the unit definitely over thespring unit. However, it is in some ways preferable to provide acontinuous flange, such as D shown in Figure 3, so that once positionedon the spring unit the upholstery can not inadvertently be shifted inany direction relative thereto.

When'the upholstery unit It is placed over the spring unit, as bestshown in Figure 7, the depending flanges insure proper padding for theedges of the upper border wire I: of the spring unit without thenecessity of further manipulation.

In addition to serving the function of protecting the fragile paddingmaterial I I during intermediate handling, the cover fabric or sheeting24 further serves the useful function of providing a surface over whichthe upholstery material ll may be drawn without possibility of ruptureor shifting of the padding material.

When the upholstery unit forming the subiect-matter of the presentinvention is employed. the steps of upholstering the seat of a motorvehicle comprises the followingr' Ihe upholstery unit II is placed uponthe spring unit ll so that the corners ll thereof receive the corners ofthe upper border wire I! of the spring unit. The trim material BI isthen drawn over the upholstery unit and is secured adjacent the lowerportion of the spring unit. The operation is much more rapid thanconventional prior practices, the results are uniformlyegood, and the,excellence of the results does not depend upon the skill of theoperator. Further, the necessity for aseparate insulator is avoided.fIhe base 20 serves the multiple function of insulator, positioningmember for the unit, protection for the delicate fibrous pad duringhandling, and where it ,is formed of a fibrous or resilient material itfurther adds to the padding function of the unit.

' We have previously referred to the multiple function of the adhesivebinder, and at this time it is desired to point outtha't this binder maybe selected from a large group of materials. It has been found thatlatex is admirably. suited'for the present purpose. However, othermaterials may be substituted, and among these are natural or artificialresins and asphaltic or bituminous compositions.

In cases where the base 20 is formed at a molded rubber or a boardlikematerial, it will normally be unnecessary to provide the adhesive binderexcept around the flanges 22 thereof. in

order to secure the marginalportions ll of the fabric 24 thereto.

While we have illustrated and described several specific embodiments ofourinvention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious additions, modifications, omissions, combinations andsubstitutions may be made which will be within the spirit and scope ofour invention as defined by the appended claim.

What we claim as our invention is:

A self-contained upholstery unit comprisinga form retaining base havinga downwardly open-1 ing recess adapted to receive the upper portion of aspringstructure, said base being formed. of aggregated unimpregnatedrelatively coarse fibers such as sisal, jute, or the like treated with astiffening binder, a pad overlying said base formed of relatively softunimpregnated relatively fine fibrous material such as cotton, and afabric covering overlying said pad and having its edges extending aroundthe lower edges of said recess and secured within the latter.

' JACK C. GORDON.

EDWARD R. DE'I'RICK.

